Golden Sea
by scribensdraconis
Summary: Prompt: What was Ignes' favourite memory with her father?


**Author's note: **_crossposted from an old tumblr prompt. This still makes me cry, so..._

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For the first time Ignes was truly alone. To know she was the wielder of Leviathan now gave her no comfort. To know that she was on her own now gave her no comfort. She might be free now, but she was alone as well. Slowly, she leaned her head back until she could look up into the sky, grey and clouded. Heavy drops of rain hit her face, washing away a couple of tears she'd failed to hold back. You must be strong. You are alone now, no one will come and save you again. Now you must save yourself.

However, a part of him would always be with her. His blood ran through her veins, his soul was a part of her, too: leviathan, the chain that linked her and all of her ancestors of thousands of years into one line of masters of the seas. Like the sea she must be, like the sea he has been. While she was the storm in the night, he was the calm in the morning. A golden sun rising above, settling the storms. Forever she would remember. Screams, cries, despair that overwhelmed her. No one else in this world could tame her demons. With gentle hands he'd taken her, pulled her against his chest like he always did. No matter whether she was a babe of five or a woman of a thousand years.

_Come. Understand what we are. Understand what is the home of our souls_. Ignes did not know how much the sea truly meant to him – to her, it has meant nothing. Though she always could hear its siren's call, she never understood it until that day. Away from the island, the blood, the union, the screams, the cruelty, away from everything through dark waters. There, she began to understand. Side by side, she saw another world she had not considered. What was the ocean but water? This is where all life comes from… here, in the abyss of the seas, life was created – somewhere in the depths, the well of souls, from where all life sprang… Tales, old, ancient tales of the depths not even a noble could reach, tales of creatures even she did not know. More than any other noble clan, her people could feel it: even though they had left the waters thousands and millions of years ago, their hearts still longed for the dark, cold infinity of the sea.

Ignes never knew how much time they had spent there. Sometimes he would show her Leviathan, a massive dark beast moving through the waters gracefully. This is where we belong: here, where Leviathan is more than a weapon. This is our home, and it knows. Through streams that carried them on their own, past reefs and caves, an endless dive, sometimes a perfect cold darkness in which she could hardly see a thing, holding on to father instead. Wherever she went, he would always know how to guide her. For days they swam, with sharks and with wales, through swarms of fish and desolate places where nothing seemed to live. Never had Ignes felt such a profound peace, wishing she could be a fish too: they would swim on forever, never resurfacing again.

Eventually, they finally resurfaced after days and nights under water. So many stars… it has been so long since the last time she has seen so many stars in the sky, a million sparks of light in the dark. An endless, pitch black abyss beneath them, the whole universe above them in all of its terrifying, vast magnificence. An abandoned floating boat served as seat and softly, she leaned her head against his shoulder.

Never had they spent this much time together without union calls and experiments to interrupt them. His arm around her shoulder made her feel safe and warm. Don't cry, Ignes. You have no reason to. You're happy. Yes. And that's why you want to cry: when have you felt such genuine happiness before?

„Ignes… one day, I will no longer be there to protect you." His voice was as soft-spoken as always, a soothing sound that mixed with the gentle breeze of the wind and the water lapping at her legs that dangled from the edge of the little boat freely. The mere thought frightened her. Yes… all the children were clan leaders now.. but she… did she have anyone, really? Without him, she would be alone in the world… a thought that always made her feel a frosty shiver running down her spine. She wrapped her arms around his torso tightly. „You know it's true. One day, you will be on your own. But remember. You will never be alone. No matter what happens, I will always be with you. A part of me will always live on inside of you."

Maybe it was alright to cry. Maybe it was alright to be vulnerable, too. Here, in the perfect peace of the night… Though it scared her, the idea of being alone… She knew in her heart: he was right. By blood they were bound, by power, by memory and by love. Quietly, they sat… and as the sun rose above the ocean that golden day, a peace settled in her heart, and though that peace was not meant to last… in that moment… in that endlessly precious moment when the rising sun painted the silent waters in a most flaming, glorious gold… she felt as though she was at home, with father's arms around her with no company but the sun and the sea.

In this one perfect, supreme moment, as complete and majestic as any moment could possibly be, she felt truly whole – and to this memory, she would hold on forever. The rising sun and the softness of his silence.

Now, she was alone: and she reached into that memory and the way she had felt. _Remember… You will never be alone._ But I am alone! _I will always be with you. A part of me will always live inside of you._ But a part is not enough for me! Yet it would have to be enough. He was gone, forever gone. Everyone was gone… her father was gone and so was the most beautiful moment the universe had seen, when they both had watched a perfect sun rise above a sea as calm as a mirror.

This moment would never come back. Father would never come back.  
All that remained would be but the memory of them.


End file.
